Let Me In (5 Stars)

The next time anyone tells me that American remakes of foreign language films suck I'll point at "Let me in" to contradict him. After seeing both this and the Swedish original, I have to say that this is the better film. Director Matt Reeves doesn't seem to have even attempted to give this remake a unique touch. In content and atmosphere it's almost identical to the original, apart from relocating the story from Sweden to New Mexico. And yet it rises above the original. Why? The reason is simple. The phenomenal acting of the two main characters, Owen and Abby, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz.

These must be the greatest young actors alive today. I already knew Kodi, born in 1996 in Australia, from his appearance in "Romulus, My Father". His acting had already impressed me. Chloe Moretz, born in 1997 in America, is best known for her role in "Kick Ass". That film was deliberately over-the-top and didn't show off her acting abilities, but in "Let me in" she has a chance to excel.

To explain the plot briefly, without giving too many spoilers: Owen is a 12-year-old boy growing up in the snowy mountains of Los Alamos, New Mexico. He's a puny little boy who's badly bullied at school. He doesn't have any friends and spends the evenings spying on his neighbours through a telescope. Yes, he's very creepy. If he were 20 to 40 years older we'd find him disgusting, but at his young age we can feel sympathy for him. Then a couple move in next door, a young girl called Abby and her father. Or at least he thinks it's her father. We soon find out that they have a strange relationship that isn't explained until later in the film.

Yes, Abby is a vampire. It's a vampire film. But this is like no other vampire film ever made. It's a love story, rightly compared by critics with "Romeo and Juliet". Owen and Abby are two young lovers from two different worlds. Do they have a chance? Will their love end as tragically as in Shakespeare's famous play? Watch the film and find out.

Incidentally, "Let me in" is the first full release of the revitalised Hammer Films after the episodic "Beyond The Rave". It was a curious choice for Hammer to make a remake so early in their new phase, but after seeing the film I have to say it was a good choice. I'll be sure to watch all the following Hammer films. Wait for my reviews in this blog.